They faster you get there, the more times you get to do it.

I personally find the true cost of ownership of 425 / 441's to be a mystery. I've never spent the time to deep dive into it simply because it's still a bit out of reach for me but would love to see a breakdown or spreadsheet with all the TCO laid out for these models.

I think 425's are great birds if your mission meet the profile. The range of the 441's is daunting but so is the size of the airplane. They are immense, especially if you typically travel with only 1 or 2.

We won't....promise!

Because it's absolutely NOT what the OP asked about
I will mention that for the discussed price point, the Turbo Commander with -5 engines is pretty amazing value. I think there is a valid long term argument for -10 engines in terms of performance and getting your money back but that would be an aircraft out of the described initial purchase price. I wouldn't take a 421, no matter how nice, in exchange for my bird, turbine power is just a game changer.
Edit: I say this without ever having flown a 421, just having spoken to pilots who have flown both and having done a bit of research.

Anyone in the South of France in a Commander SHOULD not be allowed to discuss budgets.....

Appreciate your comments Patrick.l

Patrick,

I owned a 421 and now a 441. Your comments are spot on!

I bought a 425 back in May and I am loving it. It's very easy to fly, has a great cabin with low noise, has ample useful load, and fits in a large T hangar which can save you a lot of money. I cannot say that I have enough experience as an owner to give you a good feel for the operating costs. The only thing I can say is that a lot of people told me that they are some of the more economical turboprops to own. The one thing I can tell you is that there are a couple of really important things to consider when buying one:

1. You need to check to see when the SIDs were complied with and how many hours/cycles are left on the major ones. Most of the SIDs are based on hours or cycles rather than calendar. So if the big ones were recently c/w and you one fly 100 - 200 hours/year you will have a long time to go before they are due again.

2. There are a few items you want to check very carefully during a pre buy. For example, one item are the flow packs. They are non repairable (there is a limited exception to this) and only one company (Ontek) has the approval to overhaul them. They are $15K each for O/E. So you have like 5% of the airframe value locked up in the 2 flow packs. You want to be 100% certain these are working properly. Same with fuel leaks. Do not buy an airplane unless you load it with full fuel and let it sit for 3 days. The fuel leaks are all fixable by the right people but they are annoying and can cost money if you have inexperienced people trying to fix them.

3. This goes for any turboprop but you cannot spend too much money on the pre buy. I would spend the $10K on a 2,3,D check at either Technicair Fresno, CA (1st choice) or West Star Grand Junction (2nd choice). It's crucial, as with any airplane, to have a very knowledgeable shop do the pre buy. Also do not skip the borescope inspection. The big, famous Cessna shop located just near Cessna is not where I would take it.

There are almost 30 425's for sale now so it is a buyers market and you can almost certainly find the right airplane. PM me and I can give you more tips and share my experience on owning and flying one. I found that there are really very few people who are truly fluent in owning and operating the plane. I ended up learning more by just flying it than I did from the mentor pilot I hired for the first 10 hours. I can help you avoid that experience too.

Scott

i flew, did not own, serial #5 back in 83-84. Owned by a man who rarely had more than 4 onboard. I thought it was a great airplane. I remember being cautious about the red line in descents.

Jeff

No doubt the inflight disintegration of 441's was fresh in your mind back then.

I think it was more the needed dihedral in the stabilizer, than the actuators.

And yes, I was well aware...scary.

There are a few Conquests based at my home field, albeit Conquest II's and III's that are owned/operated/maintained by a charter business. You can try giving the owner a call, he may share some info with you.

http://www.fareshareltd.com/management.html

Scott
Does your airplane have the Blackhawk engine upgrade?
Tom

Scott's plane is stock with 4 blade props. It's in the hangar next to mine.

What is a Conquest III?